House of Representatives at the Batasang Complex in Quezon City (PNA file photo)
MANILA – Lawmakers are seeking the creation of an ad hoc committee to conduct a study on the possibility of constructing a new House of Representatives building near the new Senate building in Bonifacio Global City (BGC).
In filing House Resolution 1390, Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr., Quezon Rep. David Suarez, and Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr. said the House should consider transferring to the same area near Senate's Taguig office for "better communication and coordination of legislative work".
The new Senate building is near completion and is set to start partial operations in July 2024.
"Both the House and Senate used to share space, before the war, in the Legislative Building, which was the origin of the term "upper house" and "lower house", where the Senate had its session hall at the second floor, while the House had its session hall on the ground floor," the lawmakers said.
They said the accessibility of public transport through efficient transportation options should be a key consideration for all the legislators, employees, and guests of the House of Representatives in the study.
The proximity to other government agencies, multinational corporations, leading local businesses, and tech startups should also be taken into account "for access to different sorts of Filipinos from every walk of life", they noted.
They said the availability of the fund source for the proposed site and building construction should be considered.
"The new building, as far as the budget may allow, be iconic and one that we can be proud of, a modern infrastructure that respects green spaces, vibrant, forward-thinking but still uniquely Filipino," they said. (PNA)
